Marine equipment launcher and retriever



Feb. 14, 1967 w. c. HUBBARD ET AL 3,303,945

MARINE EQUIPMENT LAUNCHER AND RETRIEVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 16, 1965 FIG.

INVENTORS W/LL/AM c. HUBBARD Momma (MW) 400% OFF Feb. 14, 1967 w. c. HUBBARD ET AL 3,303,945

MARINE EQUIPMENT LAUNCHER AND RETRIEVER Filed March 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r L. m

(Le A 8233,

IPA/E75 United States Patent Ofiice 3,303,945 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 3,303,945 MARINE EQUIPMENT LAUNCHER AND RETRIEVER William C. Hubbard, Lemon Grove, and Nicholas Nicololf, San Diego, Calif., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Mar. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 440,332 1 Claim. (Cl. 214-15) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalities thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to marine equipment and is directed to slips or chutes for launching and retrieving heavy gear, particularly adapted for operation in heavy seas.

In the current accelerated activity in the oceanographic sciences, the launching and retrieving of heavy gear at sea is commonplace. Heavy sonobuoys, for example, including transducers that may weigh tons must be launched and retrieved. When the sea is running high, a one ton transducer swinging at the end of a long derrick cable is dangerous. A valuable transducer can either destroy itself against the side of a heaving ship or can become hazardous to hand aboard.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved slip for launching and retrieving heavy gear, particularly adapted for rough seas operations.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a maneuverable outboard chute for launching and retrieving buoys and the like.

Other objects of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art as the description of one embodiment in the following specification proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the chute of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the equipment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a partly-sectioned detail of the chute-tilting mechanism employed in the equipment of FIG. 1.

The launching-retrieval slip or chute shown in FIG. 1 comprises the elongated structure which is semi-circular in cross-section as shown in FIG. 2 and is dimensioned to accommodate the equipment to be launched. The semi-circular trough or chute 10 may be fashioned from relatively light weight sheet metal and longitudinally reinforced by the longitudinal beams 10A. The particular beams shown are pipes although cross-sectional configuration is unimportant. Uniformly spaced transverse ribs 10B attach the sheet metal chute to the supporting pipes.

The chute is pivotally supported upon the axle 11. Axle 11 is journaled in bushings mounted on deck support standards 11A, as shown. In the example shown the chute is supported upon axle 11 by means of the saddle side plates 11B. The axle support structure is preferably mounted on skids or other semi-permanent foundation and is placed adjacent the edge of an open deck. The position of the pivotal structure is disposed to permit the rotation of the chute about pivotal axis 11 from a horizontal to a near-vertical position as shown in dotted lines, FIG. 1.

The pivot 11 is preferably displaced from the center of gravity of the chute so that the chute when unloaded will be stable in an inboard horizontal position. Prefera-bly, a standard 12 is provided to hold the chute in a level rest position.

Power for manipulating the chute to any angle from its inboard rest position to its outboard tilted position is preferably supplied by the hydraulic ram 13. One end of the ram cylinder is pivotally anchored to the support skid bed of the structure as shown in FIG. 4, while the piston rod 13A of the ram is pivotally connected to the crank 14 which is in turn keyed to the shaft 11. The ram and crank linkage is so designed as to provide about of rotation of the axle 11. Axle 11 is, of course, keyed to the saddle structure 11B of the chute. Hydraulic pumps and valves for controlling the hydraulic ram are not shown. The chute tilting structure shown is capable of driving forcibly the chute in both directions, which is important in rough-sea manipulations.

At 15 is shown a hoisting lift. The lift may comprise a hydraulic or electrically driven winch with cable 19 threaded over the pulley 16 attached or anchored adjacent the chute pivotal structure 11, "and pulley 17 which is anchored by the bale 18 to the inboard end of the chute. Cable 19 is threaded from the winch over pulley 16, over pulley 17 and hence longitudinally down the axis of the chute. Since the cable passes over pulley 16 at or near pivot 11 and is substantially parallel to the axis of the chute, a load on the cable applies but small torque about pivot 11.

According to an important feature of the chute structure of this invention, the lower or outboard end of the chute is flared in a semi-conical apron 20 to facilitate the starting of a buoy up the chute.

To launch a buoy, the chute is lowered to the inboard position shown in FIG. 1, and the buoy is heaved into the chute. The hydraulic ram 13 is then actuated to tilt the chute to a suflicient angle to permit the buoy to slip freely downwardly and into the water. If the buoy is free and is to be retrieved, a grappling hook may be employed to first get a light line on the buoy whereupon suitable attachment can be made to the hoisting cable 19. Even though the slip may be heaving wildly, it is not diflicult to draw the floating buoy, either on the surface or submerged, within range of the flared end 20 of the chute. As soon as contact with the chute is made, the cable 19 can be tightened to hold the buoy in the end of the chute While the end of the chute is raised slightly. Thereafter the hoisting by the winch and tilting by the hydraulic ram is controlled by the operator with no danger of the bony swinging free and colliding uncontrolled with the side of the ship or across the open deck.

Many modifications may be made in the details of construction of the chute of this invention without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A maneuverable slip for shipboard mounting comprising;

an elongated trough-like chute, said chute being pivotally supported near the center of gravity of the chute and tiltable from a substantially horizontal on-deck 2,889,059 6/1959 Selzer 21477 position to an inclined over-the-side position with 3,031,093 4/1962 Holsclaw 214'50'5 the lower end of the chute in the sea; 3,184,080 5/1965 Luketa 21415 a deck-mounted cable reeling winch, a first pulley attached adjacent the pivot of said chute and a second 5 FOREIGN PATENTS pulley attached to the inboard end of said chute, and a cable threaded from said winch over said first and second pulley and longitudinally along the axis of said chute for dragging objects to be retrieved 86,266 10/1955 Norway.

References Cited by the Applicant along said chute, and 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS means coupled to said chute to tilt said chute to any 972 09 10/1910 13mm gpivotal prsltlon- 1,087,858 2/1914 Wickham.

"1,130,528 3/1915 McGray.

References Cited by the Examiner 1,822,120 9/1931 Ward.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 893,642 7/ 1908 March, GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. 1,145,559 7/1915 COPPage ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Examiner.

2,880,977 4/1959 Maxon 19317 X 

